


Day 27, Day 29

by Widowfics



Series: Varian and Whumptober 2020 [20]
Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: Emotional Hurt, Episode: s01e17 Queen for a Day, Extreme Weather, Hurt Varian (Disney), I'll add tags later probably, Whumptober 2020, Yeah you know where this is going, and i'm so sorry, but I'll probably post the rest of this later tonight, don't judge I'm just a freshman, ever get that random rush of productiveness?, good for you cause I don't, i'm so late, reluctant bedrest, why do I even LIVE anymore, why do I even try anymore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-27
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:48:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27269740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Widowfics/pseuds/Widowfics
Summary: It’s felt like hours since he left the castle, and the storm combined with the trek has drained him of his initial emotions. At the moment, he is left only with questions as he pushes through the heavy snow, gripping his coat tighter with each step. Why would Rapunzel do that? How could Cassandra just watch him beg for help, only to be cast aside? Where was Eugene?orwhat if Varian hadn't made it home after being thrown back into the storm in Queen for a Day?
Relationships: Cassandra & Varian (Disney: Tangled), Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider & Varian, Rapunzel & Varian (Disney)
Series: Varian and Whumptober 2020 [20]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1940524
Comments: 15
Kudos: 120
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	1. Ok, Who Had Natural Disasters on Their 2020 Bingo Card?

**Author's Note:**

> hi!!! I'm SO sorry for being SO late. But I will be posting yesterday's fic today so...a little more on track. And maybe if my parents don't yell at me for being in front of a screen for so long I'll get to the next chapter by tonight too...  
> that's a REALLY big maybe  
> anyways, this is very very short, but I hope the next chapter makes up for that. And also, it's not complete trash like my last two posts 😂
> 
> PROMPTS I USED TODAY: extreme weather

By this point, Varian is sure his tears have frozen to his cheeks. He had stopped crying a while ago, but never bothered to wipe the wetness away. The image of the princess (the girl he had thought was his _friend_ , who had made him a promise he _believed_ ) fading as he was quickly dragged down the hallway so he couldn’t bother anyone anymore, burns in the back of his mind. Then the memory of guards giving him one last glance, before slamming the door shut, locking him _out_ from his only chance and _in_ to the deadly storm. At first he had stayed, banging and kicking in vain. He had thought about simply continuing the action (someone would’ve had to let him back in eventually, right?), but then he remembered what awaited him back home, the entire reason he had ventured all the way out here. His father was trapped, in danger at Varian’s own hands. And now he had wasted precious time, only to return with nothing. 

It’s felt like hours since he left the castle, and the storm combined with the trek has drained him of his initial emotions. At the moment, he is left only with questions as he pushes through the heavy snow, gripping his coat tighter with each step. Why would Rapunzel do that? How could Cassandra just _watch_ him beg for help, only to be cast aside? _Where_ was Eugene?

A strong wind comes from nowhere, blowing against him harshly. The sudden force knocks him off balance, and sends him crashing to the cold ground. He’s immediately encompassed by a blanket of snow, which only continues to pile up. He tries to stand again, but can’t seem to get his footing. It’s now that he realizes just how _cold_ he is. Dad never did get around to fixing those holes in his jacket, did he?

Dad...no, he has to get back up! He feels the flakes hit his face, as if small nudges to keep him down. He wants to get up, he really does. He tries to lift a hand, but stops halfway, letting it fall limply into slush. His eyes are weighed down by the flurry, collecting in his eyelashes until he closes them. He realizes he has no choice but to listen, the sound of raging winds slowly fading away into one, numb pulse. The last thing he remembers is letting out one more frigid breath, before succumbing to the dark.

_I’m sorry, Dad._


	2. I Think I Need a Doctor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Varian,” Rapunzel interrupts, and it’s just now that he notices she looks like she’s about to cry (why would she cry? She lied to him). “I’m so sorry for letting them throw you back into that storm. And I’m sorry I didn’t come with you, but I was-”  
> She stops herself, shaking her head as if it’s better not to continue.  
> “How are you feeling?” she asks instead, but the barely contained emotion makes it sound like the question is hiding something much bigger.  
> “Where’s my dad?” he counters, ignoring the Princess. 
> 
> or
> 
> Rapunzel, Cass, and Eugene actually have a little common sense after Queen for a Day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey! so yesterday's maybe obviously turned out to be a no. sorry! it's here now tho:)
> 
> also we're just pretending Quirin's dead now haha
> 
> PROMPTS I USED TODAY: reluctant bedrest (sortaaa)

Varian wakes up to the smell of fresh linen and cleaning supplies. That’s strange...had Dad decided to clean the house? But that was always Varian’s job, because he knew how to do it in minutes with his inventions. Maybe he had slept in, and Dad had started without him-

An image flashes in his head. Dad, not walking freely around a room or down a hall, but instead stuck in Varian’s lab, trapped in an amber that resulted from another one of his failed experiments. 

His eyes shoot open, and he springs into a sitting position with a gasp. Frantically looking around, he realizes with a jolt of panic that he’s not at his house at all. He’s never seen this room before, not that there’s much to take in. A plush armchair in the corner, a fancy rug on the floor, and lavish curtains covering a large window all lead him to believe he is nowhere in Old Corona. He strains his mind to remember the last thing he did, at the same time pulling off a thick blanket and sliding his legs off the bed. He notices he’s not wearing any shoes or socks, and the pants he does wear are not his own. Neither is the shirt. Wait, he had a jacket, didn’t he? That’s right! He had been walking through the snow storm, trying to get back home before it was too late. What had happened? And where is he now?

He understands none of that is important. If he’s not at home, then he needs to be. The princess and her friends had abandoned him, but that doesn’t mean he’s about to do the same with his father. He hopes against hope that he’s not out of time, and that he can get out of here and get back.

Jumping off the bed, he rushes to the door, grabbing the door knob and twisting it. He opens it slowly, sparing one last glance at the room he’s leaving before stepping out. Unfortunately, something blocks his way, and he accidentally bumps into it.

In surprise, he looks up at the disturbance. His face falls when he sees Eugene staring down at him with a similar surprise. The man looks like he was about to open the door, but Varian beat him to it.

“Oh...hey kid. I-I didn’t know you had woken up, yet,” he starts awkwardly. He turns his head a little, looking at something Varian can’t see from where he’s standing. “Hey, guys! He’s up.”

Before Varian can respond, Rapunzel and Cassandra have joined Eugene at the doorway. They all seem to share the same, unidentifiable expression.

“W-What?” he manages to get out, eyes darting over each of their faces. “Where are we? What’s happening?”

The three adults share a look, as if his questions make them uncomfortable. Finally, Cass lets out a sigh, almost seeming to deflate.

“We’re at the castle,” she explains in a soft voice Varian has never heard from her. “Eugene and Lance found you in the snow not too far out when they came back last night. We brought you inside and you’ve been sleeping since-”

“Varian,” Rapunzel interrupts, and it’s just now that he notices she looks like she’s about to cry (why would _she_ cry? She lied to _him_ ). “I’m _so_ sorry for letting them throw you back into that storm. And I’m sorry I didn’t come with you, but I was-” 

She stops herself, shaking her head as if it’s better not to continue. 

“How are you feeling?” she asks instead, but the barely contained emotion makes it sound like the question is hiding something much bigger.

“Where’s my dad?” he counters, ignoring the Princess. 

No one answers right away. Rapunzel closes her eyes, Eugene bites his lip, and Cass looks away. He narrows his eyes, heart speeding up a bit at the subtle reactions.

“ _Where_ is he?” he tries again, more forceful this time.

Eugene opens his mouth as if to speak, before closing it again. He slowly gets on one knee, placing a hand on Varian’s shoulder like he usually would when talking about something important with the boy. Varian can’t help but feel nervous at the sudden motion. Something is obviously going on.

“Kid, I-” he begins, brown eyes searching blue ones for a moment. “The three of us just got back from your place. You told Rapunzel your Dad needed help and we went as _soon_ as we could. But…”

A choked cry escapes Rapunzel’s lips and she immediately brings a hand to her mouth, looking down as tears well up in her eyes. Cass wraps an arm around her as if to comfort her, gaze also avoiding Varian’s. He looks back at Eugene, now on edge from everyone’s behavior.

“But what?” he asks quietly, almost afraid to know the answer now, all attention on the man in front of him.

Eugene stays focused on the boy, hands subconsciously gripping him tighter.

“We were too late,” he finally says, voice low. “I’m sorry kid.”

At first, it doesn’t register. Doesn’t compute. What are they saying, too late? Too late for what? No, they have to get there _before_ it’s too late. They have to leave now, have to make it back, have to save his father. Because his father _can_ be saved. He - he has to be! He’s just stuck right now, but they can free him, right? The amber wasn’t moving _that_ fast. It’s only been…

A full day. It’s been a full day since he left his dad down in the basement with nothing and no one. A full day for his experiment gone wrong to encompass his father, completely encase him in a substance derived from a freak of nature that’s only known property is to be _unbreakable_ -

Oh no. _Oh no_.

It’s too late.

Dad is gone.

The understanding hits him like a tidal wave. He lurches forward, not knowing where he wants to go, but knowing it’s away from here. Not because of the people that surround, him, though. He can’t even find it in him to care about that anymore. His dad is gone and he wasn’t there to help him or save him or even say goodbye-

Strong arms keep him from moving any farther. Eugene easily holds him in place, even when he instinctively kicks and writhes away.

“No! Let me go!” he yells, but the man only strengthens his hold. “No, nonono he- he can’t! He can’t be! He-”

His shouts quickly turn to a sob, and his entire body suddenly feels weak. He lets himself fall into Eugene’s arms, crying hard into the man’s vest. 

“No, Dad! D-Da-addyyy, please, NO!” he cries pathetically, but he doesn’t care. 

Quirin had died because of Varian’s mistake.

A father had been killed by his son.

 _His_ father.

Dad is dead, and it's his fault.

~

Tears run continuously down Rapunzel’s face, like the boy in front of her, but much more condensed. Varian is screaming and bawling into her boyfriend’s shirt (who mutters ineffective condolences every now and then), suffering through shock and heartbreak that she can only imagine. The sight of Quirin’s body, encased in that strange substance that had somehow been connected to those cursed rocks, had been enough to make her tear up. Then they had delivered the news to his son, who just last night had begged her for help in saving the man. His reaction had her sobbing in a matter of seconds, and the sound of a boy begging for none of this to be true, for all of it to just be some twisted nightmare, would haunt her for days to come. Could she have saved him from this, or was it all doomed from the start? She would never know... 

The entire scene has caught the attention of more than one castle staff member, which Cassandra takes the responsibility of waving off. Rapunzel knows her friend is just as horrified as her, though she won’t show it just yet. She’s thankful for her presence, either way.

After what must be a half hour of this, Varian seems to calm down. All that can be heard from the two on the ground is soft, muffled whimpers. Rapunzel carefully approaches them, feeling an unshakable guilt with every step, Cass at her side. She kneels down, giving a look at Eugene. He only stares back, conveying exactly what she feels. Neither are exactly sure what to do.

Before they can decide, a stifled voice sounds. The three friends look down at the kid in Eugene’s arms together, whose face is still hidden in clothes. His words are quiet, but unmistakable.

“My dad’s dead.”

It’s such a simple statement, really. One that everyone in the room already knows. Yet it has Rapunzel practically reeling backwards.

There is an orphan sitting in front of her. That’s a fact, yes. But now there’s a question.

Is she responsible for that?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thx for reading:)

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for reading! And thank you to all the people (aka @ILOVEVARIAN22 on Wattpad) who checked out my entry for a contest on Wattpad! Just a reminder guys if you wanna read it, first, this is the link: https://www.wattpad.com/971949070-mirror and second, mention you're from AO3 and I'll mention you on my next post:)
> 
> that feeling when you have to bribe people into reading your work...😂
> 
> but seriously, I love you guys


End file.
